Created in 2009, the digital currency of bitcoin is a relatively new phenomenon. During this short period of time, it has however displayed a strong development of both price and trade volume. This has led to increased media attention, but also regulators and researchers have developed an interest. At this moment, the amount of available research is however limited. With a focus on the price volatility of bitcoin and an aim of finding drivers of this volatility, this study is taking a unique position. The research has its basis in the philosophical position of positivism and objectivism. This has shaped the research question as well as the construction of the study. The result is a describing and explaining research with a deductive research approach, a quantitative research method and an archival research strategy. This has in turn stimulated an extensive literature review and information search. Areas of discussion are microstructure theory, the efficient market hypothesis, behavioural finance and informational structures. Due to the limited amount of previous bitcoin research within the area of price volatility, the study has drawn extensively on research performed on more classical assets such as stocks. Nevertheless, when available, bitcoin research has been used as a foundation/reference and an inspiration. Reviews of academic literature and economic theories, as well as public news helped to identify the variables for the empirical study. These variables are; information demand, trade volume, world market index, trend and six specified events, occurring during the chosen sample period and included in the study as dummy variables. The variables are all analysed and included in a GARCH (1,1) model, modified following a similar research by Vlastakis & Markellos (2012) on stocks. This GARCH (1,1) model is then fitted to the bitcoin volatility registered for the sample period and is able thereby able to generate data of if and how the variables affect the bitcoin volatility. The test result suggests that five of the ten variables are significant on a 5 %-level. More specifically it suggests that information demand is a significant variable with a positive influence on the bitcoin volatility, something that corresponds to the literature on information demand and price volatility. This also relates to the events found significant, as they generated bitcoin related information. The significant events of the Cypriot crisis and the failure of the bitcoin exchange MtGox are thus specific examples of how information affects price volatility. Another significant variable is trade volume, which also displays a positive influence on the volatility. The last significant variable turned out to be a constructed positive trend, suggesting that increasing acceptance of bitcoin decreases its volatility.

Bakgrund: Mycket talar för att Sverige kan komma att bli det första kontantfria landet i världen. I och med digitaliseringen har Sveriges Riksbank initierat ett projekt, ”E-kronan”, för att eventuellt lansera en digital valuta som komplement till de fysiska kontanterna. Denna uppsats kommer kartlägga de olika inställningarna som yngre användare i åldersgruppen 20 – 30 år kan tänkas ha och de bakomliggande faktorerna till dessa inställningar. Därmed ämnar uppsatsen bidra med en förståelse för hur den yngre generationen upplever E-kronan som alternativ till fysiska kontanta medel samt som underlag till beslutsfattare huruvida E-kronan bör implementeras utifrån ett användarperspektiv. Syfte: Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att kartlägga svenska 20 – 30 åringars inställning till en potentiell implementering av E-kronan som komplement till dagens fysiska kontanter, samt de bakomliggande faktorerna till de identifierade inställningarna. Genomförande: Uppsatsen har genom ett kvalitativt tillvägagångsätt intervjuat 58 personer under en tidsperiod på sju veckor. Författarna har använt sig av ett bekvämlighetsurval i kombination med ett kvoturval. I uppsatsen identifieras fyra typer beroende på respondenternas inställning samt skildras ett analysverktyg för att illustrera vilka bakomliggande faktorer som har haft större påverkan på avsikten att använda E-kronan. Slutsats: Uppsatsförfattarna kommer fram till att beredskapen för E-kronan inte är densamma som behovet som upplevs för den. Dessutom är information om projektet en väsentlig del som i nuläget begränsar respondenterna i deras beslutsfattande. Slutligen rekommenderar även uppsatsförfattarna att E-kronan bör utgöra ett betalalternativ som skiljer sig från dagens existerande. / Background: Sweden could become the first cash-free country in the world. As a result of the digitalization, the Swedish Central Bank has initiated a project called the E-krona to investigate whether a launch of a digital currency should be realized to complement the hard cash. This essay will map the various attitudes that younger users in the age group 20 – 30 may have together with their underlying factors. Therefore, the essay aims to provide an understanding of how the younger generation experiences the E-krona as an alternative to hard cash as well as a basis for decision makers whether the E-krona should be implemented from a users' perspective. Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to map the Swedish 20 – 30-year old’s attitude towards a potential implementation of the E-krona as a complement to today's hard cash, as well as the underlying factors to the identified attitudes. Completion: The essay has been conducted through a qualitative approach in which 58 respondents were interviewed for a period of seven weeks. The authors have used a convenience selection combined with a ratio selection at the empirical gathering. The authors have identified four typologies dependent on the respondents' attitudes as well as created an analysis tool to illustrate which factors have had the most impact on the intention to use the E-krona. Conclusion: The authors have concluded that the readiness for the E-krona is not the same as the need for it. In addition, information about the project is an essential part that currently limits respondents in their decision making. Finally, the paper recommends that the E-krona should be designed with a unique infrastructure and functions to gain a competitive factor.

Submitted by Davi Torres de Carvalho (davi.torres@gmail.com) on 2018-08-30T14:14:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PERFIL DOS INVESTIDORES DE CRIPTOMOEDAS - ANÁLISE DE BUSCAS CORRELACIONADAS AO BITCOIN.pdf: 1321448 bytes, checksum: d7e782a8be37d95ad193a89108224ae8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Joana Martorini (joana.martorini@fgv.br) on 2018-08-30T14:24:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PERFIL DOS INVESTIDORES DE CRIPTOMOEDAS - ANÁLISE DE BUSCAS CORRELACIONADAS AO BITCOIN.pdf: 1321448 bytes, checksum: d7e782a8be37d95ad193a89108224ae8 (MD5) / Rejected by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br), reason: Prezado Davi O seu trabalho foi rejeitado pois o título que consta nele está diferente do título autorizado pela banca examinadora, sendo assim é necessário fazer a correção e submeter o arquivo novamente. Quaisquer dúvidas entrar em contato com o telefone 11 3799-7732. Atenciosamente, on 2018-08-30T14:52:44Z (GMT) / Submitted by Davi Torres de Carvalho (davi.torres@gmail.com) on 2018-08-30T18:31:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PERFIL DOS INVESTIDORES DE CRIPTOMOEDAS - ANÁLISE DE BUSCAS CORRELACIONADAS AO BITCOIN.pdf: 1321448 bytes, checksum: d7e782a8be37d95ad193a89108224ae8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Joana Martorini (joana.martorini@fgv.br) on 2018-08-30T18:43:52Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PERFIL DOS INVESTIDORES DE CRIPTOMOEDAS - ANÁLISE DE BUSCAS CORRELACIONADAS AO BITCOIN.pdf: 1321448 bytes, checksum: d7e782a8be37d95ad193a89108224ae8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br) on 2018-08-31T12:02:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PERFIL DOS INVESTIDORES DE CRIPTOMOEDAS - ANÁLISE DE BUSCAS CORRELACIONADAS AO BITCOIN.pdf: 1321448 bytes, checksum: d7e782a8be37d95ad193a89108224ae8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-31T12:02:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PERFIL DOS INVESTIDORES DE CRIPTOMOEDAS - ANÁLISE DE BUSCAS CORRELACIONADAS AO BITCOIN.pdf: 1321448 bytes, checksum: d7e782a8be37d95ad193a89108224ae8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-31 / O Bitcoin é a maior criptomoeda em valor de mercado (USD 140 bilhões) e volume de negócios diário (USD 5,7 bilhões) de um grande grupo de criptomoedas. Sua proposta é baseada em uma rede ponto a ponto para permitir que pagamentos online sejam enviados diretamente de uma parte para outra sem passar por uma instituição financeira. Essa proposta também se apresenta como método seguro para evitar o duplo gasto e proteger a rede de ataques cibernéticos. O Bitcoin também usa um sistema de incentivo para a manutenção da rede. Neste artigo, é possível compreender suas características técnicas, bem como analisar a evolução histórica do Bitcoin, incluindo alguns aspectos financeiros como investimento. O principal objetivo é analisar os dados do Google Trends, onde a quantidade de pesquisas correlacionadas ao Bitcoin é usada para encontrar os perfis de investidores que buscaram Bitcoin na internet. Alguns termos como 'mineração', 'mercado' e 'programação de computadores' tiveram uma associação positiva com o interesse do Bitcoin (medido pela quantidade de buscas). Por outro lado, a associação com o termo 'dólar' foi negativa. Os efeitos placebo relativos aos cantores 'Caetano Veloso' e 'Roberto Carlos' não foram significativos. / Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency in terms of total market value (USD 140 billion) and daily traded volume (USD 5.7 billion). Its solution is based on a peer-to-peer network to enable online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through financial institutions. This proposal presents itself as a safe method to avoid double expenses and to protect the network from cyber attacks. Bitcoin also uses an incentive system for the maintenance of the network. In this article, it is possible to understand its technical characteristics as well as analyze the historical evolution of the bitcoin, including some financial aspects as an investment. The main objective is to analyze the data from Google Trends where the quantity of searches correlated to Bitcoin is used to find the profiles of investors that looked up to bitcoin on the internet. Some terms as 'mining', 'market', and 'computer programming' had a positive association with Bitcoin's interest (measured by the quantity of searches). On the other hand, the association with the term 'dollar' was negative. The placebo effects relative to the singers 'Caetano Veloso' and 'Roberto Carlos' were not significant.

[pt] O Bitcoin surgiu no fim da década passada. Desde então, emergiu uma nova classe de ativos: as criptomoedas. O ecossistema das moedas digitais vem avançando a passos largos, seja pelo surgimento de novas moedas, pelo nível de capitalização, pela escalada de investidores ou pelo expressivo desempenho em 2017. Dado o quadro, as criptomoedas se consolidam a cada dia como uma alternativa de investimento, tornando-se de vez uma rota do mercado financeiro. Por consequência, surge a necessidade de avaliar e estimar medidas de risco para esses ativos. Este estudo estimou os coeficientes Beta das quatorze maiores criptomoedas da economia – de acordo com o nível de capitalização – em relação à índices teóricos, com o fito de auxiliar os gestores de portfólios no apreçamento e na formatação de estratégias. Através de uma regressão de retornos passados destas moedas sobre os retornos dos índices de criptoativos, de ações e de uma cesta de moedas contra o dólar americano, estimou-se o Beta dos ativos. A partir das análises, concluiu-se que o Bitcoin possui elevada sensibilidade aos índices de criptomoedas, mesma condicionante para o Ethereum, porém com correlação mais branda aos referenciais, bem como ao próprio Bitcoin. Quantos às demais moedas, estas não exprimiram fator de risco associado aos índices de criptomoedas, visto os baixos coeficientes. Quando analisados os criptoativos em relação aos índices acionários e de moedas contra o dólar, constatou-se que os coeficientes foram iguais a zero. Portanto, o desempenho das criptomoedas, na janela de tempo estudada, possui relação involuntária às oscilações destes índices. / [en] Bitcoin has risen at the end of the last decade. Since then, a new class of assets emerged: the cryptocurrencies. The cryptocurrencies scenario has been advancing rapidly, by the emergence of new currencies, by the level of capitalization, either by the increase of investors or by its significant performance in 2017. Given the situation, cryptocurrencies keep consolidating itself every day as an investment alternative, becoming a permanent route for the financial market. Consequently, it becomes necessary to estimate risk measures for these assets. This study estimated the Beta coefficients of the largest cryptocurrencies – according to its capitalization level – in relation to theoretical indexes, in order to assist portfolios managers in pricing. Through a regression of past returns of virtual currencies on the returns of the cryptocurrencies indexes, stocks and a portfolio of currencies against the US dollar, the digital assets beta was estimated. From these analyses, it was possible to conclude that Bitcoin is significantly sensitive to cryptocurrencies indexes, the same condition for Ethereum, but with a softer correlation to the references, as well as Bitcoin itself. With respect to the other currencies, they did not express a relevant risk factor associated with cryptocurrencies indexes, due to low coefficient values. When analyzing the cryptocurrency in relation to the stock and currency indexes against the US dollar, it was noted that the coefficients were zero. Therefore, the digital currencies performance of this study, in the given timeframe, has an involuntary relation to the fluctuations of those indexes.

Digital currencies represent complementary alternatives to fiat money in the conventional mental models of exchange. Blockchain, as the underlying technology of Bitcoin, holds a potential to influence a peer-to-peer exchange in the perspective of trust and ownership. The underlying technologies of digital currencies may be part of concepts, where designers have a possibility to define their own exchange articles for specific needs of the exchange. The ambition of this report is to illustrate the possibilities for the initiation of a peer-to-peer exchange with use of the underlying technologies beyond Bitcoin. The explorative approach provided me material for the retrospective reflection to achieve this ambition. The thesis project consisted three iterations, one experiment, and a literature overview. The main conceptual work illustrates the result of explorative research, where blockchain ensures trust between participating parties. This ecosystem uses the principles of sharing economy for initialisation of exchange within the community. This concept demonstrates potential opportunities for future transactions, in which the exchange article replaces fiat money.

Depuis sa création la monnaie a été l’objet de nombreuses évolutions. Ces dernières années ont vu l’apparition de cryptomonnaies et de projets de monnaie issus de personnes privées. Ces évolutions ont poussé les États à réagir, se sentant alors menacés dans ce qui constitue un élément majeur de leur pouvoir : la monnaie et son contrôle. Comment les États ont-t-ils réagi à cette menace ? Dans ce mémoire, la monnaie officielle sera étudiée à travers les deux unités qui la composent : l’unité de paiement et l’unité de valeur. Ces deux unités se retrouvent dans les cryptomonnaies stables ainsi que dans les projets de monnaie numérique de banque centrale, leur encadrement juridique sera étudié à travers le prisme de la législation canadienne et européenne. Le projet européen de monnaie numérique de banque centrale étant plus développé que le projet canadien, une attention particulière lui sera portée. Les États ont utilisé leur pouvoir législatif pour faire entrer les cryptomonnaies stables dans les systèmes préexistants, il peut s’agir du marché des valeurs mobilières ou du marché bancaire. Les États utilisent les règles de ces marchés pour encadrer ces innovations et les empêcher de se développer hors du sentier que le droit leur a tracé. La régulation ne permet pas d’endiguer suffisamment le phénomène des monnaies privées car elle ne propose pas d’alternative crédible. Les États ont donc mis en place des projets de monnaies numériques de banques centrales afin de créer cette alternative. / Since its creation, currency has been the subject of numerous evolutions. Recent years have seen the emergence of cryptocurrencies and currency projects from private individuals. These developments compelled states to react, feeling threatened in what constitutes a major element of their power: the currency and its control. How have states reacted to this threat? In this dissertation, official money will be studied through the two units that compose it: the unit of payment and the unit of value. These two units are found in stable cryptocurrencies as well as in central bank digital currency projects, their legal framework will be studied here through the prism of Canadian and European legislation. Since the European central bank digital currency project is more developed than the Canadian one, a special focus will be brought to it. States have used their legislative power to bring stable cryptocurrencies into pre-existing systems, through the securities market or the banking market. States use the rules of these markets to regulate these innovations and prevent them from developing outside the path that the law has paved for them. The various digital currency projects of central banks create an alternative to private currencies. They are the other answer to the concerns created by these new innovations.

Les informations relatives aux cryptomonnaies sont susceptibles de changer à l'avenir tant cette matière est nouvelle et encore peu ancrée dans le droit. Ce mémoire est une réflexion sur l'essor du Bitcoin et des cryptomonnaies à leurs débuts, alors même que le droit cherche à s'accaparer ces nouvelles technologies, à les intégrer dans son système préexistant. / Les cryptomonnaies sont des monnaies numériques, qui se sont développées hors de tout contrôle étatique et qui fonctionnent de manière décentralisée. Bien qu’étant encore à leurs balbutiements, ces cryptomonnaies, à l’instar du Bitcoin, soulèvent de nombreuses questions juridiques. Dans ce mémoire, seront analysées les différentes définitions qui pourraient inclure la cryptomonnaie, avant de nous concentrer sur la définition de la monnaie numérique. Ensuite, seront étudiés, les aspects criminogènes des cryptomonnaies et la volonté des États d’avoir un certain contrôle sur celles-ci. Puis après nous être concentré sur la fiscalité applicable aux monnaies numériques, il sera nécessaire d’examiner l’étendue de la protection des consommateurs, dans leurs rapports aux cryptomonnaies. Pour ce faire nous nous appuierons, entre autre, sur les lois canadiennes, françaises et américaines. Toutefois vous vous en rendrez-compte, les cryptomonnaies n’ont pas encore été totalement englobés dans les systèmes juridiques des trois pays étudiés, et les tribunaux n’ont été saisis que dans très peu d’affaires relatives aux monnaies numériques, ce qui implique que de nombreuses incertitudes juridiques persistent à l’heure actuelle. / Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies which developped outside of state control. They function in a purely decentralized manner. Although they are only at an early stage, those cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, raise many legal issues. In this article we will analyze different definitions which might include cryptocurrencies, before focusing on the definition of digital currencies. Therefore we will study the criminal aspects of cryptocurrencies and the willingness of the states to gain a certain control over them. Then, after focusing on the taxes applying to digital currencies, it is necessary to examine the extent of the consumer’s protection while dealing with cryptocurrencies. In order to do this, we will rely, among others, on Canadian, French and American laws. As you will notice by yourselves the cryptocurrencies have not yet been fully encompassed within the legal systems of those three countries, and as the courts have only been seized in very few cases relating to digital currencies, you will find that many legal uncertainties currently persist.

Sverige rör sig mot ett kontantlöst samhälle i en takt som uppmärksammas internationellt. Det svenska betalningsväsendet kan komma att genomgå omfattande strukturella förändringar inom snar framtid. En av dessa förändringar kan antas vara införandet av den digitala centralbanksvalutan (CBDC) e-kronan. Då språnget mot det kontantlösa samhället börjat uttrycka sig i resten av världen är olika länders centralbanker mitt uppe i att reda ut de makroekonomiska effekter som en CBDC medför. Då e-kronan är ett nytt fenomen existerar det inte någon omfattande empirisk forskning, utan förhållandesättet är fortfarande teoretiskt. Vi undersöker därför de makroekonomiska effekter som kan tänkas uppstå vid införandet av en räntebärande e-krona från kort till lång sikt, samt diskuterar möjligheten för att använda e-kronan som ett penningpolitiskt styrmedel. Vi finner utifrån en modifiering av IS-MP-PC-modellen att en räntebärande e-krona som sätts i enlighet med inflationsmålet har liknande makroekonomiska effekter som styrräntan har idag. Vidare utvidgar vi en överlappande generationsmodell och visar på en undanträngning av reala tillgångar på lång sikt vid höga räntenivåer på e-kronan relativt till räntan på reala tillgångar i ett intergenerationellt sammanhang. / Sweden is moving towards a cashless society at an internationally recognized pace. The Swedish payment system may undergo extensive structural changes in the near future. One of these changes is assumed to be the introduction of the digital central bank currency (CBDC) e-krona. As the leap towards a cashless society has begun to manifest itself in the rest of the world, various countries' central banks are in the midst of figuring out the macroeconomic effects that a CBDC brings. As the e-krona is a new phenomenon, there is no extensive empirical research and the approach is still theoretical. We therefore investigate the macroeconomic effects that may arise from the introduction of an interest-bearing e-krona from the short to the long term and discuss the possibility of using the e-krona as a monetary policy instrument. By modifying the IS-MP-PC-model we find that an interest-bearing e-krona set in accordance with the inflation target has similar macroeconomic effects as the policy rate today. Furthermore, we extend an overlapping generations model and show a crowding out effect of real assets in the long run when the interest rate on the e-krona is high relative to the interest rate on real assets in an intergenerational context.

Diese Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit drei relevanten Aufgabebereichen einer Zentralbank und untersucht die makroökonomische Prognose, die Analyse der Geldpolitik in einem makroökonomischen Modell und die Analyse des Währungssystems. Jedes dieser Phänomene wird mit Hilfe des passenden Modells nach Nichtlinearitäten untersucht. Der erste Teil der Dissertation zeigt, dass nichtlineare rekurrente neuronale Netze, eine Methode aus dem Bereich Maschinelles Lernen, die Standard-Methoden übertreffen können und präzise Vorhersagen der Inflation in 1 bis 12 Monaten liefern können. Der zweiter Teil analysiert eine nichtlineare Formulierung der monetären Taylor-Regel. Anhand der Schätzung eines nichtlinearen DSGE Modells wird gezeigt, dass die Taylor-Regel in den USA asymmetrisch ist. Die Zentralbank ergreift stärkere Maßnahmen, wenn die Inflation höher ist als die Zielinflation, und reagiert weniger wenn die Inflation niedriger als die Zielinflation ist. Gleicherweise ist die Reaktion der monetären Politik stärker bei zu geringem Produktionswachstum als bei zu hohem. Der dritte Teil der Dissertation formuliert ein theoretisches Modell, das für eine Analyse der digitalen dezentralen Währungen verwendet werden kann. Es werden die Bedingungen bestimmt, unter denen der Wettbewerb zwischen der Währung der Zentralbank und den digitalen Währungen einige Beschränkungen für die Geldpolitik darstellt. / This thesis addresses three topics that are relevant for the central bank policy design. It analyzes forecasting of the macroeconomic time series, accurate monetary policy formulation in a general equilibrium macroeconomic model and monitoring of the novel developments in the monetary system. All these issues are analyzed in a nonlinear framework with the help of a macroeconomic model. The first part of the thesis shows that nonlinear recurrent neural networks – a method from the machine learning literature – outperforms the usual benchmark forecasting models and delivers accurate inflation predictions for 1 to 12 months ahead. The second part of the thesis analyzes a nonlinear formulation of the Taylor rule. With the help of the nonlinear Bayesian estimation of a DSGE model it shows that the Taylor rule in the US is asymmetric. The central bank reacts stronger to inflation when it is above the target than when it is below the target. Similarly, the reaction to the output growth rate is stronger when the output growth is too weak than when it is too strong. The last part of the thesis develops a theoretical model that is suitable for the analysis of decentralized digital currencies. The model is used to derive the conditions, under which the competition between digital and fiat currencies imposes restrictions on the monetary policy design.

Financial exclusion is a major developmental problem. Perception has it that financial exclusion emanates from the lack of access to banking and financial services, and the general understanding is that ICT-based access to such services is the solution. In this research, which was undertaken in Ghana, Critical Realism (CR) revealed deeper causes (generative mechanisms) that underlie financial exclusion. The research followed a mixed-method approach. The CR approach guided the research to create an initial model from which hypotheses were deduced and tested; the design science approach, guided the research to create the design theory and an instantiation of an application that uses the design theory; and the quantitative method, was used to evaluate the hypotheses. CR revealed how, in a credit economy, people have a need for credit to pursue business or education opportunities. The generative mechanisms identified have revealed how the credit market for the unbanked includes the reality that a wellfunctioning credit market is self-sustaining with two mechanisms: signalling and adoption. The signalling mechanism facilitates users’ access to credit, which they in turn are able to spend on more services. On the other hand, the adoption mechanism enables the development of more services making the market more valuable, thus attracting more users in a self-feeding loop. The key findings suggest that being banked does not necessarily lead to financial inclusion and financial wellbeing. Transactional banking only serves as an "enrichment agenda for the banks", with minimal benefit to the people. There are also other non-financial technologies such as sharing and social technologies that have an effect on the provision of credit; in addition to their main purpose of saving and/or earning income, for the unbanked, by sharing resources. In Ghana, despite having bank accounts, most of the banked do not use them, because of cost and inappropriate services. This research reveals that the unexamined notion of being banked as a fundamental requirement for financial inclusion may require further investigation. The research has found that the unbanked keeping to themselves and the use of cash creates anonymity and makes them invisible to formal financial institutions, who prefer identity over anonymity, thus contributing to their financial exclusion. The following design needs were identified: inexpensive credit and value-added services such as saving groups, financial accounting services, service to report delinquent customers and education. The research offers a conceptualization of a financial inclusion ICT artefact to draw attention to the multifaceted and complex environment financial inclusion effort is immersed. This calls for an integrated approach since the issues with financial exclusion extend beyond financials and have an effect on the broader society. The research, therefore, proposes a substantive framework for improving the design and development of financial inclusive systems, which helps build trust using obligation transactions. It offers an approach to computing an individual’s financial inclusiveness, which also helps safeguard his/her financial wellbeing. The thesis makes a contribution to Information Systems theory in proposing a framework on financial inclusion using ICT. The contribution to practice is the design of an ICT artefact. / School of Computing / Ph. D. (Computer Science)